The Middle East

Israeli politics

Goodbye, for now

WHEN Israelis describe their outgoing foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, “inscrutable” and “unstoppable” crop up most frequently. Peaceniks add other, less flattering epithets to describe the ultra-nationalist Mr Lieberman, autocratic leader of the ex-Soviet immigrant party, Yisrael Beitenu. Hardliners tend to speak of him approvingly, though there are sometimes sounds of discomfort over the nakedness of his political ambition.

When Mr Lieberman unexpectedly announced his resignation last Friday few believed he was in earnest. Only the night before, he had publicly celebrated the attorney-general's decision, after years of criminal investigation, to ditch a case accusing him of bribe-taking and money-laundering. The foreign minister pooh-poohed the one allegation on which the attorney-general decided he had enough evidence to indict: a charge of breach of trust connected to Mr Lieberman's alleged intervention on behalf of a diplomat.

When he resigned the next morning, he pointedly predicted that his absence from power would be brief and temporary. His lawyers immediately began urging the state prosecution service to fast-track his trial, in time for elections on January 22nd. But as his resignation took formal effect on Tuesday morning, with the indictment looming, political insiders wondered Mr Lieberman had gambled and lost this time. He could find himself out of politics for years.

If Mr Lieberman is convicted on the breach of trust charge, he would face a declaration by the court of “moral turpitude”. This, by law, would stymie his political comeback. The legislation is complicated, verging on obscure. If he were convicted before the election, guilty of moral turpitude, but not sentenced to prison, the turpitude would expire with the present Knesset. Mr Lieberman could come back in the new one. If the same happened after the new Knesset is sworn in, the turpitude would require him to resign from the new Knesset and wait till the next elections—four or more years away. In the worst-case scenario, if he got a prison term, he would be disqualified for seven years.

Mr Lieberman denies any guilt. His team is hoping for a speedy trial and a verdict without a jail term, so that even if turpitude is declared, it will quickly lapse. Alternatively, they may try for a plea-bargain with the prosecution that would avoid turpitude altogether. It is by no means clear, however, that the court will go along with this, say the political insiders, especially given the intense public debate that the case has aroused. Opposition politicians are baying for Mr Lieberman's blood, determined to see the back of him for as long as possible.

When it comes to the effect of Mr Lieberman's trial on his party's electoral prospects, opinions vary. Yisrael Beitenu is running on a combined ticket with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud. Mr Lieberman is second on the combined slate, after the prime minister. The merger was widely seen as a step forward for Mr Lieberman in his long-term plan to take over Likud and inherit Mr Netanyahu's mantle. Some veteran Likud voters are chary of supporting him. Others, though, may feel sympathy for him: he claims he is the victim of police and prosecutorial persecution. If internal polling shows that Mr Lieberman is a liability, Likud campaign managers will deftly downgrade his profile on the joint platform.

One thing in favor of Liberman's argument of persecution: If I were a patriotic Israeli prosecutor I would most certainly make great efforts, within the law, to nail him. Lieberman's mouth is a huge asset to Israel's enemies.

You say:
'No. Not true. Israel's laws work in trivial and obvious cases only.'

Really? - 'Trivial and obvious?? - How many countries had their President forced out of office, put on trial, convicted by both District and Supreme Courts??

Name me those additional countries that did so, will ya?

Oh, and by the way, in your 'Israel=apartheid' state, among the three convicting District Court judges, was an Arab one - George Karra. Among the three Supreme Court Judges who ruled on Katzav's case, was another Arab Judge, Salim Joubran.

Indeed. Lieberman represented better than anyone the Israeli regime: racist, arrogant, bellicose... With him in charge there were no illusions about what Israel is about. Let's hope he'll soon be back to show the regime's true face to the world.

In Oslo, Israel "gave peace a chance. What the Oslo Accords 'peace deal' had brought Israel was, however, a terror murder rate 4+ times more than in the years prior to Oslo.

Just for you to understand what 1,335 dead Israel in the 10 years between 1994-2003 means if you pro-rate it to the US population, it means some 55,000 dead Americans! - That's almost twice 9/11 events each year, for 10 years in a row!!

This what happened when Israel "gave peace a chance".

Then, Israel tried again in 2005 when it unilaterally departed Gaza, including evacuation of all Jewish settlements there. For a while, rocket fire, which started dripping in the early 2000's, were dropped. I guess the Palestinians focused on taking over the evacuated areas and building their force.

Look at the attached Economist article which shows how rocket fire peeked after 2005, to the point where it was inevitable for Israel but go for operation 'Cast Lead' late 2008. After that 'reset' to Hamas, which meanwhile ousted Abbas in Gaza in 2007, rocket fire started to pick up again, until the recent 'Pillar of Defense' operation.

Craig - The problem isn't Israel not giving peace a chance. The problem is existential aggression against Israel that misunderstands Israel's peace chance giving as a weakness that invites ever more attacks on innocent Israelis.

Today it is clear to anyone interested in the truth, that any Israeli move out of the West Bank will end up the same like what happened when Israel departed Gaza - more anti-Israeli aggression.

That may be a good thing, so that Western whites can see who their 'agent for change' in the Middle East really is like. Perhaps they know already. Which is why they send them there, so they do not have to suffer them in the white havens of Europe and Russia.

I agree with your last two sentences. Any state that is committed to the destruction of another State, that is innocent of aggression, is an enemy of all of US. Your generalization of Palestinians is untrue and will continue the Hate. You should know that.

My first comment will prove to be correct once all the the projects have completed the inevitable approved certification. I have been a supporter of Israel since 1948, probably longer than you. I remember when Israel had Great, Internationally praised, Leadership. Nuttingyahoo is not leading the Nation toward Peace. He is more interested in appeasing his nutty right-wing ultra-conservative base. Similar to America's Speaker of the House, Bonehead, ah, Boehner. No need for more preaching to the choir. I am saying if Israel wants American Tax Payer money, then make a Peace. Now. Then we can talk about Iran. I know how Israel received their yellow cake. Do you? Is that relevant enough?